rewirebio.iobenchmarks
Contested result

MutFormer and phyloP: An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers reverses the order

  • Low severity
  • Not yet reviewed
  • Ordering reversal
  • Different tasks across studies

An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers ranks phyloP above MutFormer in 4 of 5 comparisons; other studies rank MutFormer above phyloP in 7 of 7.

An automatic lead, not a finding of error. The results below are shown as published, everywhere on the site, until a reviewer decides otherwise.

Which studies agree

Livesey and Marsh 2025 ranks MutFormer above phyloP in all 7 of its comparisons. An openly licensed benchmark… ranks phyloP above MutFormer in 4 of its 6 comparisons and MutFormer higher in 1; 1 is a tie.

Papers grouped by which system they rank higher: MutFormer or phyloPRank MutFormer higher: Livesey and Marsh 2025. Rank phyloP higher: An openly licensed benchmark… (disagrees). Mixed: none.Rank MutFormer higherMixedRank phyloP higherLivesey and Marsh 2025Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)An openly licensedbenchmark…An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers
  • Rank MutFormer higher (1): Livesey and Marsh 2025
  • Rank phyloP higher (1): An openly licensed benchmark… (disagrees)
  • Mixed (0): none

Each paper sits where at least two thirds of its comparisons point; Mixed means neither model reaches two thirds. The larger, outlined dot is the paper that disagrees.

Comparisons in which each paper scores MutFormer or phyloP higherAn openly licensed benchmark… (disagrees): MutFormer higher in 1, phyloP higher in 4, 1 tie. Livesey and Marsh 2025: MutFormer higher in 7, phyloP higher in 0, 0 ties.Disagrees: An openly licensed benchmark…An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers1 MutFormer higher11 tie14 phyloP higher4Livesey and Marsh 2025Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)7 MutFormer higher7
MutFormer higherTiephyloP higherNumbers are counts of comparisons; the outlined bar is the paper that disagrees.
Papers compared (2)
PaperRoleRanks MutFormer higherRanks phyloP higherTies
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers and 1 more record · DOIDisagrees141
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML) and 1 more record · DOIAgrees700
Comparisons in An openly licensed benchmark… (6)
ProtocolDatasetMetricMutFormerphyloPHigher
CGC missense oncogenicity, all genes (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Missense variants in 768 Cancer Gene Census genes with open oncogenicity labelsAUROC (CGC missense, all genes), unitless0.6930.764phyloP
CGC missense oncogenicity, all genes (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Missense variants in 768 Cancer Gene Census genes with open oncogenicity labelsAverage precision (CGC missense, all genes), unitless0.4460.47phyloP
CGC missense oncogenicity, oncogenes (gain of function) (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Missense variants in 768 Cancer Gene Census genes with open oncogenicity labelsAUROC (CGC missense, oncogenes (gain of function)), unitless0.7680.766Tie
CGC missense oncogenicity, oncogenes (gain of function) (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Missense variants in 768 Cancer Gene Census genes with open oncogenicity labelsAverage precision (CGC missense, oncogenes (gain of function)), unitless0.5820.567MutFormer
CGC missense oncogenicity, tumour suppressors (loss of function) (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Missense variants in 768 Cancer Gene Census genes with open oncogenicity labelsAUROC (CGC missense, tumour suppressors (loss of function)), unitless0.6550.818phyloP
CGC missense oncogenicity, tumour suppressors (loss of function) (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Missense variants in 768 Cancer Gene Census genes with open oncogenicity labelsAverage precision (CGC missense, tumour suppressors (loss of function)), unitless0.2860.422phyloP
Comparisons in Livesey and Marsh 2025 (7)
ProtocolDatasetMetricMutFormerphyloPHigher
Livesey and Marsh 2025 clinical benchmark: pairwise AUROC win rate, ClinVar pathogenic versus gnomAD missenseLivesey and Marsh 2025 clinical set: ClinVar pathogenic versus gnomAD v4.1 missense (819 proteins)Pairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, per-protein AUROC on shared variants, ClinVar P/LP versus gnomAD v4.1 missense, proteins with at least 10 of each), percent6423.4MutFormer
Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, all 36 DMS setsLivesey and Marsh 2025 human DMS benchmark set (36 proteins)Pairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, 36 human DMS sets), percent71.415.4MutFormer
Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, all 36 DMS setsLivesey and Marsh 2025 human DMS benchmark set (36 proteins)Pairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against the five top-ranked VEPs (column top_5_winrate; the five are not listed in the table), |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, 36 human DMS sets), percent17.20.667MutFormer
Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, direct assays onlyLivesey and Marsh 2025 human DMS benchmark set (36 proteins)Pairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, direct DMS assays only), percent74.717.7MutFormer
Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, indirect assays onlyLivesey and Marsh 2025 human DMS benchmark set (36 proteins)Pairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, indirect DMS assays only), percent68.913.8MutFormer
Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, SNV-accessible substitutions onlyLivesey and Marsh 2025 human DMS benchmark set (36 proteins)Pairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, SNV-accessible substitutions only), percent71.415.4MutFormer
Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, SNV-accessible substitutions with gaps filledLivesey and Marsh 2025 human DMS benchmark set (36 proteins)Pairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS, SNV-accessible substitutions, missing predictions filled with the VEP's most benign score), percent70.516.7MutFormer

What disagrees

Other studies
rank MutFormer above phyloP in 7 of 7 comparisons
This study
ranks phyloP above MutFormer in 4 of 5 comparisons
Compared
MutFormer, phyloP
Study that disagrees
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers, OncoCal repository, tables/tool_performance.tsv (per-tool AUROC and AUPRC by gene role)
Other studies
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML), Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8)
Rule
Ordering reversal; different tasks across studies
Model identity
Matched across studies partly through links not yet reviewed

The compared numbers

Each value links to its result record and source. Compare values within one protocol; the rule compares rankings, not raw values across protocols.

In the study that disagrees (10)
StudyToolProtocol or benchmarkMetricValue
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers; OncoCal repository, tables/tool_performance.tsv (per-tool AUROC and AUPRC by gene role)MutFormer rank score, dbNSFP 5.3.1a (Lee 2026)CGC missense oncogenicity, all genes (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Average precision (CGC missense, all genes)0.446
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers; OncoCal repository, tables/tool_performance.tsv (per-tool AUROC and AUPRC by gene role)MutFormer rank score, dbNSFP 5.3.1a (Lee 2026)CGC missense oncogenicity, all genes (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)AUROC (CGC missense, all genes)0.693
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers; OncoCal repository, tables/tool_performance.tsv (per-tool AUROC and AUPRC by gene role)MutFormer rank score, dbNSFP 5.3.1a (Lee 2026)CGC missense oncogenicity, oncogenes (gain of function) (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Average precision (CGC missense, oncogenes (gain of function))0.582
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers; OncoCal repository, tables/tool_performance.tsv (per-tool AUROC and AUPRC by gene role)MutFormer rank score, dbNSFP 5.3.1a (Lee 2026)CGC missense oncogenicity, tumour suppressors (loss of function) (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Average precision (CGC missense, tumour suppressors (loss of function))0.286
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers; OncoCal repository, tables/tool_performance.tsv (per-tool AUROC and AUPRC by gene role)MutFormer rank score, dbNSFP 5.3.1a (Lee 2026)CGC missense oncogenicity, tumour suppressors (loss of function) (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)AUROC (CGC missense, tumour suppressors (loss of function))0.655
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers; OncoCal repository, tables/tool_performance.tsv (per-tool AUROC and AUPRC by gene role)phyloP100way_vertebrate rank score, dbNSFP 5.3.1a (Lee 2026)CGC missense oncogenicity, all genes (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Average precision (CGC missense, all genes)0.47
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers; OncoCal repository, tables/tool_performance.tsv (per-tool AUROC and AUPRC by gene role)phyloP100way_vertebrate rank score, dbNSFP 5.3.1a (Lee 2026)CGC missense oncogenicity, all genes (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)AUROC (CGC missense, all genes)0.764
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers; OncoCal repository, tables/tool_performance.tsv (per-tool AUROC and AUPRC by gene role)phyloP100way_vertebrate rank score, dbNSFP 5.3.1a (Lee 2026)CGC missense oncogenicity, oncogenes (gain of function) (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Average precision (CGC missense, oncogenes (gain of function))0.567
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers; OncoCal repository, tables/tool_performance.tsv (per-tool AUROC and AUPRC by gene role)phyloP100way_vertebrate rank score, dbNSFP 5.3.1a (Lee 2026)CGC missense oncogenicity, tumour suppressors (loss of function) (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)Average precision (CGC missense, tumour suppressors (loss of function))0.422
An openly licensed benchmark and per-gene calibration map for missense pathogenicity predictors on activating cancer drivers; OncoCal repository, tables/tool_performance.tsv (per-tool AUROC and AUPRC by gene role)phyloP100way_vertebrate rank score, dbNSFP 5.3.1a (Lee 2026)CGC missense oncogenicity, tumour suppressors (loss of function) (Lee 2026, OncoCal tool_performance.tsv)AUROC (CGC missense, tumour suppressors (loss of function))0.818
In the other studies (14)
StudyToolProtocol or benchmarkMetricValue
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)MutFormer (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 clinical benchmark: pairwise AUROC win rate, ClinVar pathogenic versus gnomAD missensePairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, per-protein AUROC on shared variants, ClinVar P/LP versus gnomAD v4.1 missense, proteins with at least 10 of each)64
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)phyloP (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 clinical benchmark: pairwise AUROC win rate, ClinVar pathogenic versus gnomAD missensePairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, per-protein AUROC on shared variants, ClinVar P/LP versus gnomAD v4.1 missense, proteins with at least 10 of each)23.4
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)MutFormer (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, all 36 DMS setsPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, 36 human DMS sets)71.4
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)MutFormer (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, all 36 DMS setsPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against the five top-ranked VEPs (column top_5_winrate; the five are not listed in the table), |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, 36 human DMS sets)17.2
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)phyloP (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, all 36 DMS setsPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, 36 human DMS sets)15.4
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)phyloP (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, all 36 DMS setsPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against the five top-ranked VEPs (column top_5_winrate; the five are not listed in the table), |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, 36 human DMS sets)0.667
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)MutFormer (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, direct assays onlyPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, direct DMS assays only)74.7
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)phyloP (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, direct assays onlyPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, direct DMS assays only)17.7
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)MutFormer (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, indirect assays onlyPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, indirect DMS assays only)68.9
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)phyloP (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, indirect assays onlyPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, indirect DMS assays only)13.8
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)MutFormer (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, SNV-accessible substitutions with gaps filledPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS, SNV-accessible substitutions, missing predictions filled with the VEP's most benign score)70.5
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)phyloP (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, SNV-accessible substitutions with gaps filledPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS, SNV-accessible substitutions, missing predictions filled with the VEP's most benign score)16.7
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)MutFormer (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, SNV-accessible substitutions onlyPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, SNV-accessible substitutions only)71.4
Livesey and Marsh 2025, Supplementary Material 2 (Tables S1-S8); Livesey and Marsh 2025, Genome Biology 26:104 (Europe PMC full text XML)phyloP (Livesey and Marsh 2025)Livesey and Marsh 2025 DMS benchmark: pairwise |Spearman| win rate, SNV-accessible substitutions onlyPairwise win rate (average pairwise win rate against all other VEPs, |Spearman| with DMS on shared variants, SNV-accessible substitutions only)15.4

Follow-up

Current state: Not yet reviewed.

No one has reviewed this finding yet.

How to help resolve this

If you know why these studies disagree, for example a different population, metric or preprocessing step, or you have a corrected value, tell us through the contribution form. A reviewer checks every submission against its source before anything changes, and the step is added to the follow-up above.

Finding discrepancy-8acfd1210af10ac9 · All contested results · How findings are made and followed up